Trials and Tribulations of a 6th Year Ravenclaw
by bookish ravenclaw
Summary: A 16 year old girl faces the obstacles and adventures of her 6th year at Hogwarts, and meets the love of her life, or her worst enemy?
1. A New Year, a New Life

Disclaimer: Everything that you know already is thanks to JK Rowling---only the new stuff is mine!

Characters:

Rachel Ferguson: Protagonist. Half-Blood by father's side.

Paul Lupin: "antagonist"—fullblood by Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks—neither Metamorphagus nor Werewolf by stroke of fate. Lupin was more accepted by parents after the fall of Voldemort and taught DADA until his son entered school. Paul's younger brother Romulus is a Second Year Gryfinndor.

Sirius Wealsey: Son of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour (met and fell in love at Gringotts Bank)—inherited Weasley Hair, obviously fullblood

Angelina Garretson—best friend of Rachel,  Beater on Gryfinndor Quidditch team, fullblood

Jackie Klume—best friend of Rachel, half-blood on mothers side

Cathleen Zoolie—friend of Rachel, muggle-born.

Tom Wood: Quidditch team Captain—Son of the very young Oliver Wood and, oddly enough, Penelope Clearwater, who disliked Percy after the events during Harry's 6th year.

Lovegood girl: much younger sister of Luna Lovegood. Father remains editor of the Quibbler.

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Chapter One 

A New Year, a New Life

Rachel stared out the window as she watched the landscape steadily change while the day passed beside her. She was on the Hogwarts Express, bound for the school that her magical ancestors had been attending since its founding. Her robes were clean and new, her wand polished, and her schoolbooks carefully stowed away in her trunk.

It had been 10 years since that fateful day when the boy-who-lived himself, Harry Potter, had defeated the Evil Lord Voldemort (none feared to say his name anymore), sadly ending in Harry's own  death. The entire wizarding world had mourned, even the Death Eaters, understandable seeing as the ones who survived would be forever banished to Azkaban.

Suddenly the door to her compartment swung open. 

"Dun dun nuh!" announced an all-too chipper voice. "I have arrived!"

Angelina Garretson, one of Rachel's best friends from Hogwarts, bounded into the compartment swinging her trunk, broomstick, and very unhappy ginger cat along with her. 

"You'll never guess what's happened Rachel dear, never!" Angelina exclaimed merrily.

"You've finally learned to be subtle?" Rachel remarked.

Eyes slightly narrower than before, Angelina continued, "I've been made Beater! Tom Wood's just told me! I can't believe it! When I fell off my broom last year at practice I never thought they'd still consider!"

Remembering the all too sad (and yet hilarious) incident in question, Rachel suppressed a giggle and hugged her friend. Their 6th year at Hogwarts was bound to be the best ever!! If she only knew what was going on in the next compartment….

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"Shut up you great prat, and pass me a chocolate frog!" said a dark haired boy from behind his _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them  _textbook.

"But Paul you've been," a great shudder shook the speaker, "_studying _the whole train ride!" A look of disgust crossed this freckly face as he pitched over the candy.

A grunt escaped from behind the book and two blue eyes became visible. 

"Well Sirius, what else is there to do?" Paul munched. 

"Check out girls of course! Honestly mate, you should get out more." 

Paul Lupin shook his head and with a quick swish of his wand sent his beloved book safely atop the shelves. "Let's get on with it then." 

Fully approving of the surprised look on his friend Sirius Weasley's face, Paul led the way down the train. He had already convinced himself that this was the year to go for it—to actually start a conversation with……..a girl. And not just any girl…..

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	2. Mischeif on the Train

Chapter 2

Mischief on the Train

There was a massive clatter and a series of small thumps outside the compartment door. Rachel and Angelina, who had been joined by their best friends and partners-in-crime Jackie and Cathleen, looked up from their Exploding Snap game. 

"What in the name of Merlin was THAT?" exclaimed Angelina, blunt as ever.

Just as Rachel was sliding open the door she was knocked to the ground but a tall, dark mass of something.

"Why, hello ladies," slurred Sirius Weasley from the doorway, with a mischievous sparkle in his green eyes. 

Cathleen blushed and giggled furiously. Angelina crossed her arms and rolled her deep brown eyes.

"Don't you give us any of that crap Weasley, or the _prefect_ here," she motioned to Rachel, who was trying to detangle herself, "will give you detention."

"If it isn't the Goody-Goody Gang back from summer." He smoothly put in, glancing around the compartment. 

"Ger……offfff……ME!" Rachel yelled, with a final push to the form atop her. Paul Lupin stood up, hair tousled and face as red as a tomato.

If there was one person Rachel did not want to see on her first day back at Hogwarts, it was Paul. He could get on her nerves faster than any one she knew, Peeves the Poltergeist included. 

"Oh _no_," She groaned, "You're a prefect too?"

Paul glanced down at the shiny blue and silver badge on his chest as though seeing it for the first time. 

"Yeah, what's it to you?" he retorted. With a roll of his eyes he stormed out of the compartment.

"Sorry about that ladies, me mates got his knickers all in a bunch. I'll sort him out shortly." Sirus bowed, (which caused an even larger eyeroll and an exasperated grunt from Angelina) and left.

"I cannot STAND that boy," Rachel thought to herself as she smoothed her robes and straightened her own prefect's badge.

Jackie seemed oblivious to this whole situation, sitting behind her issue of _Teen Witch Weekly._ It came as quite a shock when she suddenly remarked, "You're in love with Paul, aren't you Rachel?" 

"WHAT?!" ejected Rachel, with the tiniest hint of a blush creeping into her cheeks. "Lupin?! PAUL LUPIN? SICK! I would rather be in Snape's N.E.W.T. class that love that toad."

Jackie seemed unfazed, however, and just shrugged her shoulders.  Cathleen and Angelina shared an unspoken look of here-we-go-again and hurriedly pulled out the remaining Exploding Snap packs. It was going to be quite a sixth year….

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The Hogwarts Express grinded to a halt at Hogsmeade Station that evening. As the students exited the train, Rachel and the other prefects gathered up the first years and pointed them towards Hagrid, the gamekeeper. The rest of the ride had been rather uneventful, with the girls playing games and chatting about summer vacation, and Sirius and Paul jabbering about Quidditch and how all girls must be mad. 

It was drizzling slightly, not uncommon for September, and Rachel shivered slightly despite her heavy robes. Lupin, standing nearby, offered her his cloak.

 "Oh, right, like I'd take anything from _you_," Rachel remarked, and backed away. "You've probably jinxed it to give me boils or something."

"Look Rachel, about what happened on the train…." Paul began.

"Oh don't even try it Lupin!" Rachel remarked, and walked off. Paul stuck his tongue out at her receding back and looked around for Sirius. 

"It really is a miracle that his father was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this school ever had," thought Rachel absently, as she followed her friends to the carriages. She had never had a chance to actually meet Professor Lupin, seeing as he retired the year before his son came to Hogwarts. 

"Come _on _Rachel! It's freezing out here!" whined Angelina, who to Rachel's surprise was already sitting in the carriage, along with Jackie and Cathy, and their boyfriends Will and Henry from Hufflepuff. Rachel clambered in, pausing to unhook her poofy blonde hair from a hook on the door, and not noticing the brown haired boy staring at her over the bustling crowd.


	3. Fighting, Feasting and First Years

Chapter 3

Fighting, Feasting and First Years

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The students entered the Great Hall with as much wonder and admiration as always. The ceiling showed a beautiful night sky, with a few dark clouds floating past the sparking stars. 

Rachel's favorite teacher, Professor Sinistra, seemed to be happily gazing at the ceiling also. The queue split up as they walked through the great doors; Angelina, Jackie and Sirius to Gryfinndor, Cathleen to Hufflepuff, Paul and Rachel to Ravenclaw. 

Rachel looked right and left along the table, but there were no seats to be seen. She flopped down next to a fourth year girl she vaguely knew as something Lovegood, and looked toward the teacher's table. 

"Can I sit here?" a familiar voice asked over the noise of the Great Hall. Rachel was still looking around and lazily waved her hand in acceptance. Moments later she regretted it.

"You?! Why can't you ever just leave me alone!" she growled. 

"Don't think I'm peachy with the seats either, missy," Paul snapped back, "There's no others." Rachel rolled her eyes but knew it was the truth. 

She scooted as far away from him as she could without touching the bizarre Lovegood girl, and crossed her arms. After a brief silence, She realized Paul had been talking.

"What is it now?" she inquired.

"Er…well…I was just saying that you look great with that tan." She heard Lupin say. 

"Oh puh_lease _Paul! When are you going to give it up?" He said nothing, but she could swear he had just smiled. She cast him a dark look and grabbed the book he had been reading out of his hands before he knew what hit him. 

"Hey! That's mine!" he squealed, and reached over for it. They wrestled over it for a bit, much as they had back in their first year. Childlike as it was, Rachel couldn't help but whack him over the head before giving it back. 

The rest of the feast passed in quite the same way, with each of them making remarks about each other and hissing insults while the teachers were talking. By the end of Dumbledore's speech, Rachel was feeling very eager to slip into her four-poster at the top of the West Tower. 

She said goodnight to her friends and sleepily marched off, only just remembering that she had to guide a small group of first years to the Common Room. 

She wrestled some up and led them away from the great hall. "Where had Paul gone off to?" She thought to herself. He was supposed to help her. Shrugging her shoulders, she led them off to the West Tower.

"Ok now, watch 'cause I'm only going to do this for you once!" She cast a glance at the small group, and noticed a small boy with mousy brown hair who looked like he was about to wet his pants. Smiling slightly, she took out her wand.

"1…2….3 ….Ravenclaw we be!" she recited, tapping her wand in rapid succession on the head of a gigantic eagle statue they had just come upon. It winked its glassy eye and with a slight "pop!" lifted its wing, exposing a door. 

"Alright, follow me!" She led them into a spacious square room with many large tables and straight-backed chairs placed throughout.  

"Girls to the left, Boys to the right," she commanded. "Showers are at the end of each hall, and there is a secret passage to the library through the portrait of our founder in this very room." The students turned as one to the grand fireplace, near which was a life size painting of a stern looking witch in a brilliant blue and silver cloak. 

"Welcome to Hogwarts." replied the soft, but powerful voice. The first years were hypnotized, eyes bulging almost out of their oddshaped heads. 

"If you ever have a question, or need some assistance, she is always glad to help." Rachel paused for a moment. "…_unless_ she's reading." With a wink and a smile, Rachel ascended the staircase, very happy to reach the 6th story and her waiting bed. 

She noticed her other roommates were already sleeping, and within minutes she had joined them. Just as she was drifting off, however, a face flitted across her mind. A face she had forgotten for a glorious 20 minutes….


	4. Let the classes begin!

(a/n—I have a couple more reviews, and have decided to keep up the fic just because its my first one. J )

Chapter 4

Let the Classes Begin!

With a yawn, Rachel reached over and switched off her 7 o'clock alarm, which had started blaring the Weird Sisters newest hit "Double Double". She fumbled into some robes and grabbed her bookbag, glancing at the schedule for the day.

9 AM Double Transfiguration with Gryffindor 

10:45 AM Charms

12: 15 AM Lunch 

1:30  PM Double Care of Magical Creatures with Hufflepuff

Midnight: Astronomy

On her way to the Great Hall, Rachel spotted Jackie and Cathy coming up from a nearby staircase. She would have waved, but they were with Will and Henry and were never very talkative in the mornings anyway. Instead of sitting at her own table and being pestered by Paul yet again, Rachel took up her spot at one end of Gryfinndor's, next to Angelina. She seemed to be deep in conversation with Tom Wood over a small game board of some kind, with little zooming pieces violently slamming into one another.

"So anyway, the Sloth Grip Roll should work nicely against Hufflepuff in the first match Angelina." Tom Wood prodded his miniature model of the Quidditch Pitch with his wand and the players zoomed back into his bag. 

"Sounds good Tom, thanks." Angelina replied, in a breathy, high-pitched voice that was very unlike her. 

"You _liiiiike_ him!" Rachel whispered as he walked away, taking a seat with a sly grin on her face.

"Whatever, he's the captain." Angelina replied hurriedly, looking any way but at Tom.

Rachel smiled to herself, and wolfed down some toast. Shortly it was time to go, and she poked Angelina with her wand, tapped her watch, and headed out of the Great Hall. On the way, she noticed Jackie and Cathleen were….otherwise occupied with Will and Henry, ("Man, he's gonna suck her face off!" Angelina stuck in, with a look of great disgust) and Paul was over in the corner showing something to his brother Romulus.

 There was a great burst of light from their corner, and few shocked gasps from those sitting nearest to them. Romulus rushed past, and out of the corner of her eye (she was trying not to act interested) Rachel could have sworn he had no eyebrows. Rachel cast a hard look in Paul's direction, noticed Angelina a little ways ahead, and raced off to Transfiguration. 

An hour and a half later, the 6th years emerged from Professor McGonagall's classroom sweaty and covered in a green and yellow ooze. They had been trying to turn snails into Mimbulus Mimbletonia, but their inexperience had resulted in small explosions of Stink Sap. "Scourgify" had succeeded for the first few times, but seemed to deaden after that. There was no time to shower before Charms, and the Ravenclaws arrived in quite a bad sort to Professor Flitwick. 

"Why the long faces?" squeaked the small man from atop his pile of books as the class took their seats. He glanced at the students, most of whom were rubbing away fruitlessly at their robes, and decided he was probably best not knowing.

"By this time in your study, you are well aware of the basic charms needed  in the magical world, do you agree?"

 Vague nods and questioning looks.

"Well, this semester you will be assigned a project that will test not only your intelligence, but your maturity and moral fiber. In pairs, you will raise a hypothetical child, choose his or her traits and skills, and keep them in good health. As your Christmas exam, your child will be exposed to an obstacle course of sorts, each testing what it has been taught." Professor Flitwick looked extremely excited at the prospect of this project, and all the students had been shocked into silence. 

Rachel noticed that Xiashu Gong, (a stout boy with an odd haircut that looked like he had had a bad bout with a lawnmower), had his mouth hanging open and was drooling onto his desk. Martha, one of Rachel's roommates, turned slightly green and scooted away from him.

"Now your partners," everyone in class instantly began whispering, "will be chosen by me." A distinctive groan rippled through the classroom.

"Bruggs and Tottle" were called first, much to the delight of a couple that had been making out under Jim Brugg's desk most of class. Rachel listened avidly to the names; unsure about whom she wanted to be paired with. Paul was the smartest by far, but definitely the most annoying. She got slightly anxious as everyone around her picked up their supplies and moved, leaving only her and Lupin remaining. She sighed and walked over to his desk, avoiding his gaze. 

"Could be worse," she thought to herself, as Martha looked rather faint next to Xiashu. 

With a bit of a start, Rachel realized that Professor Flitwick was talking once again.

"The charm '_genero anthropos_' will cause a projection of your child to appear. They will all start out looking the same, but will change uniquely to suit each pair. Make sure to treat them with kindness, or they will run away! All projections will remain in my class, and you will only be able to interact with yours during class time! Alright, you may begin!" 

Rachel looked at Paul, shrugged her shoulders, and took out her wand, and rolled up her sleeves.

"_Genero Anthropos_!"

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	5. Babies and Boys

Chapter 5

Babies and Boys

A small cloud of purple smoke flowed out of Rachel's wand and into the space in front of her. It just floated there for a moment, and then began to stretch. Rachel turned around to look at the pair behind her, whose cloud was a sick kind of green. 

"Rachel, LOOK!" Paul exclaimed, nudging her back to their own purple mass. It had changed into what looked like a projection of a very small child, standing there in front of their desks. The image blinked in and out ever so often, but nevertheless was alarmingly realistic.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Rachel inquired, looking at Lupin. 

"I guess we should, talk to it?" he suggested, and looked at the "child". 

"Um, hi! We're your parents for the time being. I'm Paul, and er…..this is Rachel." He pointed at himself and then Rachel, seeing if the child would react. To their horror, it screwed up its face and began to cry. They nervously looked at each other, and Paul sped through his charms book, looking for anything that may help. Behind them, Xiashu was nervously prodding his projection, which seemed to be getting more and more angry. Professor Flitwick was sitting at, or rather on, his desk, looking extremely amused.

Rachel was suddenly struck by inspiration. 

"Come here little one," she requested softly, and to their amazement the child approached and sat on Rachel's knee. She shrugged her shoulders and looked over at Lupin, who seemed to think she had it under control and had taken out his book.

"Oh don't you even think it about _bucko_!" Rachel warned, and kicked him on the shin. 

The child laughed hysterically at Paul's pained expression.

"Oh you like that?" Rachel asked, and threw her notebook right at Paul's head. CLUNK. 

The baby's giggles echoed through the class. Rachel was soon laughing too, and even Paul smiled. They played with their projection for the next hour, talking to it and playing peek-a-boo.

By the end of class, they seemed to be one of the only groups actually making any progress. Xiashu and Martha's was hiding under Professor Flitwick's desk, and Jim Bruggs' was staring blankly into space, picking his small nose. No great shock there; his "parents" had resumed their earlier activity.  In fact, the only group that was improving faster was the one in front of Rachel and Lupin. Their child appeared to be writing the alphabet on a piece of parchment. 

"Poor kid," Rachel muttered, and cleaned up her scattered parchment. The projections marched into Flitwick's adjoining office when the bell rang, and the Ravenclaws rushed to lunch. 

The Great Hall was nearly full, and Rachel joined Jackie, Cathy and Angelina at the Hufflepuff table. Rachel became nervously aware of the large amount of Stinksap still in her hair. The Hufflepuffs it turns out had had Charms first thing, and were coming along just as well it seemed with their projections. 

"Our kid hates us," remarked Jackie, with a large frown. "The darn thing wouldn't stop crying, or alternatively farting, I don't know which is worse. Not like this one," she pointed at Will, "is much help anyway." 

The girls, who giggled and rolled their eyes, didn't miss her smirk, but Will continued to stuff his face with all the food in reach. Once he realized they were all staring at him, he looked around guiltily. 

"Whah?" he asked, spraying the girl in front of him with bits of his steak-and-kidney pudding. (a/n: personally this dish has always sounded extremely disgusting)

Just as Rachel was loading her plate with some treacle fudge, she felt a huge pressure on the top and sides of her head, as though a very heavy hat had been placed on it. As she bent down to get her mirror, Angelina and Jackie jumped up, grabbed her arms and pulled her out of the Hall. Everyone was laughing and pointing, and Rachel began to run. "What is it.. , what's wrong?" Rachel asked, a sinking feeling in her stomach. The pressure was increasing. Her friends looked at each other, unsure it seemed of what to say.

Rachel pulled out the mirror from her bag. She looked at her hair, which was growing rapidly to about 3 feet in height atop her head. Laughing and gawking spectators had rushed out of the hall, one even flashing a picture. As Angelina pounced him, Rachel's eyes filled with tears and she sprinted towards the Hospital Wing. She noticed a bright yellow sign on the door—

EATING LUNCH—BACK AT 1

With a look of utter despair, she slid down the wall and collapsed on the floor, drawing her knees up to her chest, and cried. She knew who must have done the engorgement charm—that Slytherin girl she had pushed out of the way in the Transfiguration corridor. 

"It's not like I had much choice," she grumbled, "I was going to be late!" 

 She heard someone walking down the hall, and hoped they would just ignore the stupid girl with hair now nearly 5 feet above her head. To her horror, the person sat down right next to her. She covered her face with her hands, but peeked slightly out of the corner of her eye. It was Paul.

"What are you _doing_ here?" Rachel asked, turning away and holding back tears. She felt a sharp tap on the back of her head, and a muttered "_Finite Incantantum_". She let out a little gasp and turned to look at her reflection in the window. Her hair was back to normal! 

"Oh, Paul!!" she exclaimed, and threw her arms around him in a hug. She held him tightly for a moment, and then pulled away, both of them blushing furiously. She began to turn around, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. They were very close now; she could smell his musky cologne. He cupped her face in his hands, and with his thumbs wiped the tears off her cheeks. He leaned in towards her, their faces only inches away….


	6. The Wrong Idea

(a/n: sorry this one took awhile---I got a bit of writers block on how to express some of my  ideas—happy reading though! R&R and tell me what you think!)

Chapter 6

Her heart was racing, and she was frozen to the spot. They were drawing closer….

"_Gotcha_." he whispered, and with a wink ran off down the hall.

"PAUL LUPIN! YOU ARE THE BIGGEST JERK IN THIS WHOLE SCHOOL!"

 She turned angrily around, nearly knocking over Madam Pomfrey, who appeared to have returned from lunch. 

"Can I help you my dear?" she asked, with a small smile on her face.

"No, erm, sorry," Rachel said, embarrassed, and picked up her bookbag. She looked at her watch, and was alarmed to see that it was two minutes till Care of Magical Creatures. Oh, if she was late because of him…

 As Rachel listened avidly to Professor Grubbly-Plank go on about the many creatures that inhabited the Forbidden Forest, she noticed a piece of parchment had just flown through the crowd and landed in her lap.

Rachel-

How about we look over that parenting book prof. Flit gave us after tea? We've got astronomy tonight. 

                     --Paul

She looked over at Prof. Grubbly-Plank, "Flobberworms are actually vitally important to a forest's eco-system…", and turned the parchment over.

Paul—

OK I guess—wouldn't want our "kid" turning out like you. How's 6 o'clock sound?

                        --Rachel

She crumpled the parchment and aimed, hitting Paul squarely on the side of the head.

He smiled and made a kissing sound with his lips. She crossed her arms and gave him a look of death to rival Snape. The parchment flew back over. 

Rachel my love —

Grand idea. Oh, and Sirius reckons you fancy me.

                                   --paul

Paul darling—

I would rather love the backside of a hippogriff than you. No offense of course. You can tell Sirius to stick his enlarged head up his, well, you get the idea. See you tonight.

                                                          --Rachel

To her extreme annoyance, he smiled slightly at her response, and returned to his note taking. They didn't speak the rest of the class, and at the bell Rachel grabbed Cathy  and hurried to meet Jackie and Angelina, who were exiting greenhouse 6. She quickly filled them in on the happenings of the afternoon, carefully leaving out the part about the almost-kiss. 

As they entered the Great Hall, Jackie immediately walked over to the Ravenclaw table and plopped down, to Rachel's horror, right across from Paul. There was no point spending the afternoon alone, so Rachel grudgingly sat down also. Cathy left for her dance club meeting, Angelina for Quidditch practice, and Henry muttered something about Gobstones that made Sirius snicker madly and fall off his chair. Rachel, Jackie and Will spread out along the table.

"So, we're still on for tonight, right Rachel?" Paul asked innocently, a sly grin on his face. 

Jackie gave an unmistakable snort, and when Rachel turned accusingly towards her she immediately collapsed into a fit of laughter. Paul raised an eyebrow at this, and looked back at Rachel, obviously waiting for an answer.

"Yes, Lupin, our _studying_ session is still on. I asked Madam Pince yesterday if she had anything that we could use, and there's a section on this particular spell back by the Magical Creatures books."

"Cool. Well, I best be going, got lots of homework to do you know…." he trailed off, winked at Rachel, (causing another round of laughs from Jackie) and headed out the Great Hall.

"I KNEW it!!" Jackie remarked, so loudly that Sirius jumped. 

"Knew what?" he asked questioningly.

"Rachel fancies Lupin. They've got a date tonight." 

"Is that all? You're way behind. He's always had a thing for her."

"OH MY GOSH! I do NOT fancy Paul and we are NOT going on a date!! We're working on our project for Charms!" Rachel shouted. A few heads turned her way. 

Jackie and Sirius seemed unfazed however, and were babbling merrily about little Lupin's running around with Rachel's unmistakable hair. 

"The poor kids could house birds in that hair," Sirius remarked, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. Rachel glared at him, and then glanced at her watch. 

"Too bad. It's 2 already. Don't Gryfinndors have Binn's class now?"

Jackie looked at her own schedule, nodded, and winked at Rachel.

"Don't get into too much trouble with that Paul now Rachel," she remarked, and half-drug Will off to class.

"Yeah, no snogging on the first date," Sirius said slyly, and picked up his own bag, "Madam Pince'll have your head." Rachel threw her book at him, which he dodged easily, and tossed back. She decided to return to the common room and take a nap before their studying session—she knew they would be up most of the night in Astronomy anyway. 

As she passed the Hospital Wing, Romulus emerged, eyebrows in tact. He gave her a small smile and ran off to class, followed strangely by Mrs. Norris, who appeared to have been waiting for him.


	7. How Charming

A/n: sadly, I don't own Doris Day's music or "A Chorus Line".  Just in case you were wondering.

_Love Somebody_

_Yes I Do_

Love Somebody 

_Yes I Do_

_Love Somebody_

_Yes I Do_

_I Love Somebody And I Wont Tell Who_

_Confidentially_

Between You And Me 

_That Somebody That I Love……..Is You._

                        From "Love Somebody" ---Sung by Doris Day 

Rachel opened one eye cautiously and glanced around the common room. She had been sleeping on a couch in the back, oblivious to the few other Ravenclaws who hadn't left for dinner and were working quietly. 

She glanced at her watch, which read 5:56. 

"Oh, Merlin's Beard!" she yelled, and leapt off the couch, dashed into the dormitory, grabbed some parchment and dug around madly for a quill. She glanced at her hair absently in the mirror (grumbled "Massive and random, as usual, blasted genes") on the way out, and rushed to consult the portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw. 

She appeared to be reading an ancient-looking newspaper, and deep in concentration, but Rachel knew a curious eye peeked over the top when things got interesting.

"Mistress Rowena? I need to go to the library, to work on a Charms project with Paul Lupin. Please admit me." Rachel blurted, trying to look innocent. She hoped the founder would support this, as she was fickle in who she let take the secret passage. Many a time Rachel had had to take the long way to the library to "develop moral fiber". 

"Miss Ferguson, it seems you have slept a bit late this afternoon. Mister Lupin left fifteen minutes ago. You'd better hurry." 

With what Rachel was sure was the tiniest of smiles, Rowena Ravenclaw nodded her head. The portrait swung open, and Rachel raced down the staircase towards the library.

When she arrived, Paul was sitting at a table near the back, books already piled high around him. 

"You're late, my dear," he remarked as Rachel sat down across the table.

"Don't call me dear you weenie. And it's only by like two minutes." Rachel snapped, and pulled out some parchment. "Where did you get all these books?"

"While _someone_ was sleeping, I went to Flitwicks office. He has a free period in the afternoon, and suggested a bunch of books about this charm." He gave Rachel a hah-hah kind of look, and pointed to a shadowy corner about thirty feet away from them. There was a very old looking bookcase that was covered in a thick layer of dust.

"Madam Pince said there's a boggart in that case, and we can use the books if we get rid of it." He smiled at Rachel's shocked look, and walked over to the now slightly shaking cabinet. With a gulp, he opened the door. 

To Rachel's extreme amusement, she herself stepped out of the bookcase wearing a rather revealing outfit. 

"Hello, Paul," the boggart said, and walked over to wear he was standing. Lupin seemed frozen to the spot and his eyes were big as knuts. Suddenly, the boggart/Rachel grabbed Paul around the middle and pressed its lips to his. 

No sooner had it done this, that it pulled back in horror and remarked, disgusted, "you're the worst kisser in the world. I hate you."

Throughout this whole scene, Rachel had been laughing hysterically. To see herself dressed like that, and Paul all googly-eyed—it was like a dream come true. Just as she gave a particularly loud chuckle, however, the boggart seemed to realize she was there and turned around. She had conveniently forgotten they hated laughter.

CRACK!

It had changed to a red cap. Its evil little eyes made her shudder, but Rachel gotten rid of many boggarts in her old house. 

Backing away slowly, just like it said in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, she shouted "_Riddikulus!"_ and pointed her wand straight at the nasty creature. 

The Red Cap now donned a small top hat and cane, and  began to dance around her and Paul, singing the opening of "A Chorus Line." Both Rachel and Paul collapsed into laughter, and the Boggart cracked into nothingness. They got up from the floor and absently dusted off their robes.

Rachel was shocked and greatly amused that Paul was most scared of her thinking he was a bad kisser. She opened her mouth to tell him so, but his blushing face changed her mind.

Awkwardly, they glanced at each other and hurriedly grabbed a few books from the shelves. 

"This should be good enough," Paul remarked after a short while, and they sat back down at the desk.

A few moments later, he passed over a book.

"I think you should read this one." 

It was a Barbie dream house kind of pink, and was titled _Caring for your "Charming" Child._ She gave a disgusted look at Paul, who shrugged and smiled, and opened the cover. It began with "Chapter 1, The Best Gift is Love."

After about five minutes of  "love and kindness blah blah blah" and "a baby is the best gift you can give yourself", Rachel had had enough. She chucked the book in Paul's direction.

It whacked him with a great clunk---and to Rachel's amusement square in the middle of the face. She sniggered to herself for a moment, but to her horror his face contorted in pain and his nose began to gush blood. She jumped up from her seat and rushed to his side of the table. 

"Oh Paul, I didn't mean it, really!! It was just a joke, you know? Like we always do? I'm so _so_ sorry!!"  She took out one of her handkerchiefs she had gotten from Angelina last Christmas and pressed it to his nose. 

"Lean your head forward," she commanded, "and pinch it gently. Let's go to the hospital wing." For a moment they stared at each other in silence.. Her heart gave a little skip, and she quickly grabbed his head and dragged him out of the library. 

"This is _Lupin_!" She thought to herself. "I'm just nervous about the project and his stupid nose." 

He looked like he was trying very hard to look manly, and if she had not been feeling so guilty Rachel may have smiled. For the next half hour, Rachel waited outside the hospital wing as Madam Pomfrey mended Paul's nose. 

He emerged looking little better---it had stopped bleeding but was already turning purple. They walked in silence for a few minutes back to the library, each lost in their own thoughts. 

"Why don't we just call it a night?" Paul suggested. "I've got a few books back at the common room, and I want to grab something to eat before Astronomy."

"Erm, alright, but we really have to get to work tomorrow." She added. Procrastination always killed her at crunch time.

"Its not like _I_ wasn't trying earlier. You're the one that wouldn't stop kidding around."

"Oh, don't you even try to pin this on me. It was an ACCIDENT!! And you're the one who picked out that useless book anyway!!" People were returning from dinner in the corridor, and were casting strange looks in their direction. Rachel glared at Paul and hurried to the Great Hall, hoping to meet up with her friends. Oh, could he ever make her angry!! And yet…

……………………………………………………

(a/n---Like? Hate? Review!)


	8. Streakers and Stars

Rain began to boom against the windows lining the corridor to the Great Hall. As Rachel stormed along it, she saw that a broom closet on the wall was partially ajar. Strangely familiar giggles and hushing sounds leaked out, and Rachel decided she should leave well enough alone. It was probably just Jim Bruggs and that Margaret girl at it again anyway.

With a muttered "at least wait until its dark", Rachel continued to the Great Hall. She saw Jackie, Will and Cathy sitting near the end of the Hufflepuff table, apparently playing wizards chess. 

Sirius Weasley was a little ways down, flirting with a Hufflepuff 5th year. His flaming red hair clashed horrible with a bright yellow tie he had festooned his robes with. Rachel recognized it as the one that both glowed in the dark and sang "I've Got Sunshine" when prodded. How he was a friend with the dorky Paul Lupin was a mystery to Rachel.

Moments after she sat down, Angelina came bustling in, looking flushed. 

"Quidditch Practice. Tom's got us nearly every night this week!" She explained, flopping down next to them. Henry appeared next, also looking flustered.

"That's strange," Rachel thought to herself as she glanced up at the bewitched ceiling, which accurately reflected the stormy sky. "Why would they practice Quidditch in this weather?" She shrugged to herself, and realized Henry was going on about something again.

"Someone stole my Silver-Streaker Gobstone!" he whined, "It's my favorite! I've been searching all over this castle!" 

Just then, Sirius walked over to their end of the table. 

"Looking for this?" he inquired pleasantly. He pulled a perfectly round ball from his pocket, transparent with small moving silver flashes speeding around inside. Henry snatched it as Sirius sniggered and winked at Cathy. Henry turned very red when his girlfriend started giggling, and looked as though he was about to cry. Jackie elbowed Cathy in the side, at last ending poor Henry's embarrassment. 

Awkward silence. Rachel cast a harsh look at Sirius's receding back.

"Henry, mate, you've got red jam on your face," Will noticed, taking out his handkerchief and handing it over. Henry blushed again, and rubbed his face. To Rachel's disgust, Will licked the pinkish spot on the cloth as Henry passed it back, and cracked a smile.

"Not strawberry, watermelon! Mmm." he said with delight, licking his lips. Rachel turned to him, nose wrinkled in disgust.  

"What Jackie sees in you, I'll certainly never know," she remarked, and pulled out a book. Awkward silence once again.

"So, erm, how did you date with Paul go Rachel?" Jackie asked innocently, not looking up from the chessboard and obviously trying to change the subject. Angelina dropped the broom catalog she was reading. For a moment it seemed she had gone into shock.

"Paul LUPIN? You're dating PAUL? And you didn't even _tell_ me?!" She accused, now looking extremely put out. Rachel had had enough. She stood up and grabbed her books.

"I WAS NOT ON A DATE! WE WERE WORKING ON THE CHARMS PROJECT!! WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP SAYING I'M IN LOVE WITH HIM?" Rachel knew she was shouting, and she left the Great Hall before Professor McGonagall came over to scold her. 

"Funny," Jackie said quietly after she walked out, "no one said she was in love with him. Today." The friends exchanged amused glances. "You know what this means, don't you?"

They nodded conspiratorially.  (a/n: definitely my word of the day!)

Slightly out of breath, Rachel shivered at the top of the Astronomy tower. She was one of the first to arrive; there was still about 10 minutes to go before midnight. 

They were going to be looking at Aquila, the Eagle constellation. Of course all the Ravenclaws were excited, and Rachel was eager to begin. Paul hadn't arrived yet, and neither had Martha or any of the other three girls from Rachel's dorm. 

Professor Sinistra was probably still in Professor Vector's office…most of the students believe them to be quite a couple. They of course deny everything, especially because they are both married to other people. Oh the drama.

Rachel glanced again at her watch. 3 minutes until midnight. Most of the students had arrived by now and were gazing absently at the night sky, which had cleared up considerably in the last three hours. A hopeful dark cloud or two was still skirting the skies, but many a glittering star winked down at the students.

"Where is Paul? Sure hope he didn't fall asleep or something." Rachel wondered aloud, and then sharply reprimanded herself for the concern. "Not like I _care_ or anything, of course. Unless…what if he fell unconscious because of blood loss from the nose? If he dies, I could go to Azkaban!" Rachel bit her thumbnail, worry crossing her round face.

"Talking to yourself again?" whispered a voice from behind her. The speaker's mouth was inches from her ear, and she could feel his soft breathing. Rachel squealed and jumped forward.

"Don't DO that Paul!" she hissed, slapping him hard on the side of the head. He grimaced, and she remembered about his nose. 

"Oops, heehee…er….sorry," she got out, smiling sweetly. He smirked and pulled out his star chart.

"Not so worried about me, now I see?" he remarked, causing Rachel to blush slightly. He pulled out his star chart. Professor Sinistra had just come in. 

"Okay class, focus your telescopes and observe the Heavens!" 

An hour and a half later, the exhausted Ravenclaw's dragged themselves to bed. Rachel had found Aquila, though she still couldn't figure out how it looked remotely like an eagle. She dropped her bookbag onto her four-poster, and noticed a pink book corner sticking out of the side pocket. Paul must have slipped that blasted book in during Astronomy. 

"He's such a stupid git!" Rachel muttered, causing Martha in the next bed to stick her head out. 

"W-who?" she inquired with a badly suppressed yawn.

"Oh, um, Xiashu…"she blurted, hoping the gossipy, and yet clever Martha wouldn't suspect anything.

"Oh. Yeah. Well, we all know that, don't we?" She smiled sleepily. "G'night Rachel."

"G'night," Rachel replied, and was asleep within minutes.

(a/n ok now I'm realizing they keep ending with her falling asleep----and I definitely need to spice it up. Any ideas? J )


	9. Watermelon

(a/n ---because some people were confused---Jackie and Will are together, Cathy and Henry---all but Jackie are in Hufflepuff J tell me if its still crazy—I modeled them all after my friends in real life and I guess I get a tad carried away)

(oh, and If these songs annoy you tell me—I just love this new tape I got and the songs seem to go rather well…)

_-----------------------------------------------------------------_

_Once I Had A Secret Love_

_That Lived Inside The Heart Of Me_

_All Too Soon My Secret Love_

_Became Impatient To Be Free_

_Now I Shout It_

_From The Highest Hill_

_Even Told The Golden_

_Daffodil_

_At Last My Hearts An Open Door_

_And My Secret Love's No Secret Anymore_

                                    "Secret Love" sung by whom else but Doris Day

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

A thought had struck Rachel during the night, but she waited until all her friends were seated at the end of the Gryfinndor table the next morning before investigating. 

"Angelina, can I borrow some chap stick? I forgot mine in the dorm." She turned to her brown-eyed friend and made a pleading face.

"Oh, alright, you get me every time. But if you have some kind of mouth disease or something…" She pulled a small jar from her pocket. 

Rachel looked closely at the chap stick label. 

_Watermelon Wonder Wax_

_The Stuff of Champions_

_Perfect for Quidditch_

Not intended for use on animals 

Rachel's eyes widened; her predictions had been right. 

"Will?" she asked, without the usual twinge of disgust she addressed him with.

"Huh?" He looked up, mouth filled with breakfast. .

"Can you taste this chap stick for me please?" 

"WHAT?! I DON'T WANT HIS NASTINESS ON MY STUFF!!" Angelina raged, as quick to temper as ever. She reached over to grab it back, but Rachel stuck her spoon into it. She passed the spoon over to Will, and gave Angelina a quizzical glance.

"Mmm. Watermelon again!!" he said happily, and continued eating, seeing nothing unusual.

Amazed at his thick head, Rachel continued her "interrogation".

"Will?" she tried to keep the growing impatience from her voice. "Where have you tasted that same chap stick before?" 

Rachel noticed Henry was paying no attention to this conversation at all, but it seemed that something had dawned on Angelina. She was turning a very deep shade of red and looked increasingly uncomfortable. Rachel felt terrible for doing this to her friend, but Angelina _was_ the one sneaking around

"Hmm…." He muttered, looking up and twirling his one-haired goatee. "Nope. I got nothin'."

Rachel made mock-choking motions towards him. 

"HOW ABOUT ON HENRY'S HANDKERCHEIF!!" 

The realization of it had definitely hit Jackie, whose mouth had dropped open. Cathy had been listening intently, but for some strange reason had not the slightest idea of what was going on. Henry, however, who had looked up at the mention of his name, had cast an extremely anxious look at Angelina and was breathing very fast.

Rachel sat there, waiting for it to sink in to her friends. The broom closet yesterday. The fake Quidditch pracice and Gobstones club. And most of all, the chapstick.  (a/n—this sounds so high school conspiracy that it makes me laugh just to write it. There goes the whole serious tone.)

"What's the problem?" Cathy asked, looking around. Angelina would not meet her eye.

"Yesterday, I heard some people kissing in a broom closet down the hall. It was Angelina and Henry. He had her chap stick on his face, and she wasn't wet from Quidditch practice."

Cathy had turned to Henry with tears in her big green eyes. "How could you do this to me?" He looked down at his feet, not daring to talk to her. Sniffing, she picked up her books and ran out of the Great Hall, most likely headed to the dormitory.

"I'll go talk to her," offered Jackie, and hurried after Cathy.

To Rachel's disgust, Henry had reached over and taken Angelina's hand. She appeared to be crying softly. 

"I cannot believe you two," Rachel said quietly, anger lining her face. "You're the ones at fault, and you're sitting here as if you've been deserted. Go and talk to Cathy, or don't bother talking to any of us anymore." Rachel had never spoken this harshly to Angelina, but suddenly couldn't imagine speaking to her anytime soon. She quickly picked up her bag, her binder and her quills, and headed off towards History of Magic. 

--------------------------------------------------

(a/n: sorry to skip so much like this, but there's of course no way I can do every day and it was getting much too repetitive) 

--------------------------------------------------

September passed quickly as usual, with all the students settling back into life at school. They were still not talking to Henry and Angelina, who had quickly become Hogwart's hottest new couple. Along with all her new homework, Rachel's prefect duties were increasing, and she had agreed to help a group of 3rd year girls look up an anti-acne potion. 

 Paul and Rachel's charm project, which they had named Issac, was flourishing well. They had stayed up many a late night in the common room researching how best to "stimulate the maturation of this young semi-being". 

Issac could now walk, jump, and say a few simple words, and Professor Flitwick said that their children were about equivalent to muggle kids around the age of 3. Most babies in their class were also getting along fine, with a few notable exceptions. 

Xiashu and Martha's child had continually refused to approach them and could now scream like a banshee whenever their class began. 

The Bruggs/Tottle partnership had produced a similarly maladjusted child; their little "girl" Candy usually sat with its eyes glazed over or followed Issac around, poking it with it's pudgy, booger covered finger. 

The smartest, if not most personable child was that of Elicia Stevens, top of their class and Davie Jacobs, co-president of the Gobstones club (with Henry). Their project could write, read, and sing the Hogwarts school song. 

Rachel exited the weekly prefects meeting on the 10th of October full of exciting information. The first Hogsmeade trip of the year was next week, and she was eager for a chance to buy some Christmas gifts for her friends and relax in the Three Broomsticks. 

She knew Paul's birthday was on the first of November, and was also excited to meet Professor Lupin, who was doing a guest Defense against the Dark Arts Lesson that day. Their regular teacher, the real Mad-Eye Moody, usually only succeeded in scaring them out of their wits every lesson and leaving them extremely paranoid. 

It was also her night to use the prefect's bathroom, which was of course the best at the school and located on the fifth floor. Each of the eight prefects rotated nights, so to avoid embarrassing situations. The Head Boy and Girl had their own smaller, but private bathrooms. 

As she returned to the quiet common room, she got some homework out of the way, occasionally asking Rowena for help. She was terrible in History of Magic.

When the clock above the fireplace chimed 7:15 Rachel decided it was as good a time as any to take a bath. She was extremely pleased to be getting out of using the usual Ravenclaw girl's shower---there was never any hot water and always a lot of chattery girls painting each other's nails.

Soap and pajamas in hand, Rachel ducked under the eagle's wing and headed down the corridor. The Grey Lady glided past, nodding her mysterious head. Hardly any of the students knew anything about her, but she often visited the common room. Shrugging her shoulders, Rachel approached the staircase that typically led to the fifth floor.

As she came upon the statue, Rachel found herself yet again wondering about the mystery of Boris the Bewildered. Why was he so bewildered anyway? And why would anyone want a statue of him? Shaking her head, she counted three more doors and stopped in front of a particularly clean one. 

With a glance around her she whispered "pine fresh" and heard the lock click. As she entered, she nearly slipped on the clean white marble. There was water all over this side of the pool-sized tub. Someone else must have been here today.

Dismissing it as a simple misunderstanding, and glad that they had gotten their bath over with at any rate, Rachel slipped off her robes and placed them neatly on a bench near the edge of the pool. The mermaid that usually inhabited the portrait on the wall was conveniently out, much to Rachel's relief. She twisted a few of her favorite taps and grabbed the book she was currently reading, waiting for the bath to fill. 

Just as she was slipping in, however, the door to the bathroom clicked again and the door swung open.

(a/n: awkward situation is definitely a fun way to end a chapter!!)


	10. Adios, Chicos

(A/n: So sorry to my readers—I have been totally obsessed with Virtual Hogwarts and have neglected my poor little fic! Here we go though!)

Rachel froze, still half out of the water. 

"Let it be a blind person, or a ghost," she though silently, and slipped down into the embarrassingly transparent bath. 

A tall read-headed boy (to her horror) marched right inside like he owned the place and threw his cloak on the poolside bench. He was whistling loudly and had absolutely no idea what he had just walked in on. 

"Um, Sirius? It's my night for the bathroom." 

The poor guy jumped nearly out of his skin, and quickly went from pale to red and back again. 

"Well, gee Rachel if I'd known you felt that way about me I never would'a…" 

"GET _OUT_  OF HERE YOU PERVERT! YOU'RE NOT EVEN A PREFECT!!" She interrupted, going furiously red. 

"You thought Paul would have kept something like this from his best pal? Gosh it's getting to where a guy can't even take a _bath_ without being nagged by some chick…." He picked up his cloak.

"Maybe we can pick this up later, if you change your…" he stopped when he saw her contemptuous look, and flashed a cheesy grin. "See ya when I see ya. Oh, and nice tan line." 

"I'LL KNOCK YOUR TEETH OUT WEASLEY!!" she bellowed, noticing that the Mermaid had returned. As soon Sirius disappeared behind the door, she jumped out and grabbed a towel. With it securely wrapped around her, she hurried to the door and clicked the lock, promising to sock Paul as soon as she saw him. 

She stayed in fifteen more minutes, waiting until her fingers were nice and wrinkly. Changing quickly, she picked up her shower bag, waved goodbye to the strange mermaid, blew out the torch next to the door and closed it behind her. On the way down the hall, she noticed a group of about ten 3rd year boys holding small colorful balls and talking excitedly. (a/n: c'mon now, let's not even go there) 

Rachel heard a particulary strange looking one whisper, "You know that friend of Henry's, Sireus or Sirius or something? He said if we go in a room down this hall we could see a naked girl!!"  They all looked at this boy with awe and embarrassment; as if he had said a particularly bad swear word. Rachel was reminded of a scene from the muggle movie "Sixteen Candles", and narrowed her eyes. She would sock Sirius too. Guys suck.

The next morning, Rachel was furiously trying to finish some History of Magic homework that she had forgotten about, and scarfing down a bagel at the same time. She had not seen Sirius or Paul since "the incident", but had paid a 3rd year boy a sickle to put a dead spider in their beds. 

"Hey Jac, do you know when the third Goblin Rebellion was?" she asked, furiously searching through her textbook.

"You got me. Binn's gave us a different assignment." Jackie gave her friend an apologetic look, and leaned over.

"By the way, yesterday I heard Angelina crying in the bathroom. It's been really rough on her, ya'll not talking and everything. I know it was horrible what she did, but maybe you can talk to her about it? I dunno…just a thought." She thwomped Will on the back of the head and waved, leaving the Great Hall.

Cathy was down the table a little bit, chatting animatedly with some other Huffle's. Feeling a little strange to be sitting at the Hufflepuff table without her friends, Rachel moved her stuff to Ravenclaw's. Shelooked up and down the long table; still no Paul or Sirius. They were probably up to something.

She put it out of her mind, focused on finishing this paper before Professor Binn's found out….

Later that day, Rachel was walking down the Second Floor Corridor when she heard crying coming from a bathroom down the hall. 

Now, this wasn't a rare event, it _was _Moaning Myrtle's bathroom…and the poor ghost was always freaking out about something. Rachel considered continuing to the Great Hall, but her small Hufflepuffy side got the better of her, and she opened the creaky door.

To her shock, it was Angelina, sitting one of the sinks facing the window. Myrtle was hovering nearby, obviously not used to being the one not upset. She gave Rachel a quizzical look, and floated over to her normal post in the broken stall.

Rachel sat down her bag near the door, and sat down quietly next to Angelina. They both sat there in silence for a minute, staring at the clouds floating by.

"I broke up with Henry." Angelina muttered, wiping her eyes. "It wasn't worth losing all of ya'll." She looked cautiously over at Rachel, who was still staring out the window.

To Angelina's astonishment, Rachel smiled.

"It's not like he's even hot." She said, making them both laugh. "I mean, hello, President of the _Gobstones_ club?" She hugged her brown-eyed friend.

"No more sneaking around though, capishe?" Rachel asked, a slight scowl on her face. Angelina nodded. "You'll know all about my broom-closet lovers. Promise."

Rachel made a sickened face and stuck out her tongue.

"Let's get some lunch, shall we?" She grabbed her bag, and the two girls marched off to the Great Hall.

By the time they met up with their friends, everyone in school knew of the breakup. It had been rather public as Rachel came to find out; Henry had been flirting with some Slytherin from the club and when Angelina saw them, he had blown it off as nothing. Shortly after, he must have insulted her because she had apparently socked him the face, screamed, "It's over!" and run from the corridor.

"Um…Rachel? It's 11:30…are you even awake?" 

The voice was slightly hazy….Rachel waved it away absently.

"You should probably get up to bed….if Rowena catches you she might dock points…" 

There it was…that blasted voice again. She might have just turned over had it not JABBED her in the side!!!

"WHAT?" she yelled, jumping up. It was Paul.

"I just thought you might like to know, you fell asleep doing homework here again." He stuck out his tongue at her and trudged back up to the boy's dorm, giving her a nice view of his Jack-O-Lantern pj's.

She rubbed her tired head, and picked up the scattered books and parchment. With a yawn, she vowed to study earlier tomorrow and went to bed.

(a/n: Sorry its so short, but It may take forever to finish it so here's what I've got so far----more to come later----oh and sorry too about the going to sleep thing---maybe it'll be an every-other chap tradition!! So, what do you think?)


	11. Hogsmeade or Bust

(A/N: ** sigh**….well I'm rather disappointed in how chapter 10 turned out…too much resolution and not enough conflict! I read the great article on character development though on the front page…. definitely something to think about. Ok well I'll shut up and here goes….)

_October 12th_

_Dear Journal,_

_We're friends again! I truly missed her you know, even though we were angry at each other. Henry _SO_ wasn't worth it… Anyway, it's back to normal now…the "Goody-Goody Gang" has returned, as Sirius enlightened us only this morning. The great git. Though, I must admit, he does have some attractive qualities….not like my dear Tom of course….man when he touched my arm during practice the other day….._

"It was like I was flying without a broom…" Rachel recited, hands crossed over her chest dramatically.

Angelina, who had not known Rachel was reading the journal over her shoulder, blushed and grinned. 

"Can I have a little PRIVACY?!" With a menacing glare, she threw a piece of toast at Rachel, missing by a mile. Rachel giggled and pulled out a small piece of parchment.

"I wish I could keep a journal. It's so hard to actually remember to write in it though…" She stared into the clear blue ceiling for a moment, lost in the space. With a shake of the head, she reached into her bag and pulled out a notebook.

"Okay, I've made a list of all the spells we've done so far in Transfig and what they do for our test on Friday. Quiz me?" She gave Angelina a pleading look.

"My gosh Rachel you are _such_ a nerd!" Angelina complained, putting down her quill. "I am not about to spend my precious journal time studying. One of these days your brain is going to run out of room and start squishing out your ears."

Rachel stuck out her tongue. "Fine then, Miss Priss, I'll just ask Jackie." She turned to her Gryfinndor companion.

"Um, well actually, me and Will were just…erm….leaving.." Jackie stammered hurriedly, grabbing her boyfriend's arm. He looked rather put out; the newly loaded plate of breakfast entrees sat enticingly in front of him.

"Uh, eah, weerustoing." He wiped his mouth on his sleeve, and grabbed a muffin as he was once again dragged from sight. 

Pouting only slightly, Rachel returned the parchment to her bag. 

"Ah, well, everyone's just excited about Hogsmeade anyway. I can't wait to stock up on some candy at Honeydukes….I've been craving a Peppermint Toad for _ages_!" Angelina smiled at her friend.

This reminded Rachel…..she needed to go by Dervish and Bangs and get her model of the solar system, which she loved dearly and had gotten for her birthday last year, fixed. Jupiter would not stop bumping into Uranus….

None of the students or teachers were particularly attentive the next few days; Professor Flitwick had even given them a day off after three successive classes managed to either lose or hyper-activate their projections. Rumor had it they had all started crying at once and he hadn't slept trying to calm them all.

To third-year students and above, the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year was a much enjoyed release. Yes, they adored Hogwart's; the food, the friends, the fun, but it was good to get a change of scenery every once and awhile.

Rachel met up with Jackie, Angelina and Cathy right outside the front doors of the castle. (a/n—I'm not exactly sure where in HP they exit to get out of the castle…I know Hogsmeade is just across the lake though…)

"Hey guys! Let's go!" Her coins were burning a hole in her pocket, and just yesterday she had received her family's Christmas list. As they walked down the road leading to the village, Rachel tried to figure out a good way to buy presents.

"Ok, here's my idea. We go in pairs for the first few hours, buy presents for those not with us, and then switch partners around lunchtime at Honeydukes. That way we can get presents for anyone else, and it can still be a surprise!" She looked expectantly at her friends faces, who nodded absently and didn't seem to really mind either way.

(cue Diagon Alley music upon their entrance…..)

(a/n: I know this is very short but I can't bear to have just little chapter 10 being the end so far….I promise the next one will be longer…..)


End file.
